How to cook seafood at home: Celebrity chef Rick Stein reveals his secrets: Mollymook Port Stephens

Cooking seafood can be a daunting task, but celebrity chef and restaurateur Rick Stein has spilled his industry secrets for mastering the art at home. 

The 75-year-old English chef dished out his secrets to FEMAIL – from how to prepare prawns, crab, and salmon perfectly to his four bucket list meals and why snapper is his favourite seafood of all time.

The iconic chef, who owns the stunning Rick Stein at Bannisters in Mollymook and Port Stephens, New South Wales, has just launched four ‘bucket list dishes’ he believes everyone should ‘try before you die’.

They include basque country fish, passionfruit tuna, Singapore chilli crab, and lobster thermidor. 

Celebrity chef Rick Stein (pictured) has revealed his industry secrets about how to cook seafood perfectly at home 

Crab is best cooked in a pot of salty water that’s ‘as salty as the sea’ for four to five minutes, while salmon is best poached away from heat

Mr Stein also listed four ‘bucket list’ dishes to try before you die – including basque country fish, passionfruit tuna, Singapore chilli crab, and lobster thermidor. Of the four, he strongly recommends the passionfruit tuna 

Of the four, he admits his favourite is the passionfruit tuna which is served with coriander and green chilli.

‘It’s a perfect dish as an entrée or to give guests as a nibble with a glass of wine,’ Mr Stein said.

When it comes to nailing prawns, Mr Stein cooks them on the barbeque with oil, salt and chili flakes then once grilled, toss through a little more olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon.

Crab is best cooked in a pot of salty water that’s ‘as salty as the sea’ for four to five minutes. 

‘Tturn off the heat and let the crab sit in the water for an additional two minutes before serving with a ‘punchy mustard mayonnaise and lemon,’ he said.

Regardless of the seafood dish you’re cooking, Mr Stein’s suggests ‘keeping it simple’ and says a dish ‘doesn’t need to be intricate to be tasty’

Salmon is best coked without direct heat; he recommends poaching. 

‘For me, this could mean popping it into a curry just as the sauce is about finished, lid on and simmer gently for five minutes,’ Mr Stein said. 

‘Salmon cooking gently yields such a lovely delicate flavour than can be lost in high heat applications.’

Next, he said to ‘work with the seasons’ by choosing ingredients that are readily available

While he loves all fish, Mr Stein admitted snapper is his absolute favourite. 

‘To choose just one is near impossible but if I had to choose one Australian fish it would be snapper,’ he said.

‘It’s just so versatile, where I could have it raw, whole and oven baked or simply steamed with ginger and soy.’

Regardless of the seafood dish you’re cooking, Mr Stein’s suggests ‘keeping it simple’ and says a dish ‘doesn’t need to be intricate to be tasty’. 

He also said to ‘work with the seasons’ by choosing ingredients that are readily available. 

‘Right now I would be cooking some Mulloway [fish] with asparagus and a lemon butter sauce. Why? Because it is in season, cheap and tasty!’ he said.

‘When cooking your fish, just like other meats, fish can really benefit from a minute to rest. This means you are less likely to overcook the fish which in turn leads to a more flavourful end product,’ Mr Stein said.